Bacterial Genetics in Natural Environments

This book has arisen from the Second European Meeting on Bacterial Genetics and Ecology (Bageco-2) held at the University of Wales, College of Cardiff which we organised on 11-12 April 1989. The meeting was attended by some 60 participants from eight European countries and was made possible by partial financial support from the Commission of the European Communities (CEC) and Imperial Chem­ ical Industries (UK) Ltd. The meeting was organised to discuss modern developments in the genetics of bacteria in aquatic and terrestrial habitats. It followed on from, and complemented, the first meeting of this series organised by Jean-Pierre Gratia in Brussels during April 1987 which concentrated more on medical and epidemiological issues. ! The next meeting will be organised by Michel J. Gauthier in 1991 at Nice, France. If you have been fired with enthusiasm for ecological bacterial genetics after having read this book, and want to attend the next meeting but did not hear about the one in Cardiff, you should write to Dr Gauthier to be put on the address list. A lot is now known about bacterial genetics at the physiological, biochemical and molecular level, and bacterial ecology has developed rapidly over the last 20 years. However, until very recently, few researchers have crossed the divide and linked these two specialisms. Front Matter....Pages i-xii Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Genetic approaches to the study of gene transfer in microbial communities....Pages 3-21 Factors influencing the dissemination of DNA by bacterial conjugation....Pages 22-30 Factors limiting gene transfer in bacteria....Pages 31-40 Phage genetics and ecology....Pages 41-51 Front Matter....Pages 53-53 Plasmid transfer in the epilithon....Pages 55-80 Laboratory standardised biofilms as a tool to investigate genetic transfers in water systems....Pages 81-88 Survival of laboratory and freshwater bacteria carrying an extrachromosomal xyl E gene in freshwater microcosms....Pages 89-99 Gene transfer in marine environments....Pages 100-110 Gene transfer in activated sludge....Pages 111-129 Front Matter....Pages 131-131 Plasmid transfer between soil bacteria....Pages 133-151 Gene transfer in polluted soils....Pages 152-171 The potential for gene exchange between rhizosphere bacteria....Pages 172-181 The use of a Sesbania rostrata microcosm for studying gene transfer among microorganisms....Pages 182-187 Plasmid transfer to indigenous bacteria in soil and rhizosphere: problems and perspectives....Pages 188-199 Use of wide host range promoters to monitor the fate of recombinant DNA in soil....Pages 200-206 The role of soil bacteria in risk assessment analysis....Pages 207-215 Gene transfer between streptomycetes in soil....Pages 216-230 The survival of genetically engineered microorganisms and bacteria on inanimate surfaces and in animals....Pages 231-239 Front Matter....Pages 241-241 Plasmid transfer and the release of genetically engineered bacteria in nature: a discussion and summary....Pages 243-250 Back Matter....Pages 251-259 This book has arisen from the Second European Meeting on Bacterial Genetics and Ecology (Bageco-2) held at the University of Wales, College of Cardiff which we organised on 11-12 April 1989. The meeting was attended by some 60 participants from eight European countries and was made possible by partial financial support from the Commission of the European Communities (CEC) and Imperial ChemƯ ical Industries (UK) Ltd. The meeting was organised to discuss modern developments in the genetics of bacteria in aquatic and terrestrial habitats. It followed on from, and complemented, the first meeting of this series organised by Jean-Pierre Gratia in Brussels during April 1987 which concentrated more on medical and epidemiological issues.! The next meeting will be organised by Michel J. Gauthier in 1991 at Nice, France. If you have been fired with enthusiasm for ecological bacterial genetics after having read this book, and want to attend the next meeting but did not hear about the one in Cardiff, you should write to Dr Gauthier to be put on the address list. A lot is now known about bacterial genetics at the physiological, biochemical and molecular level, and bacterial ecology has developed rapidly over the last 20 years. However, until very recently, few researchers have crossed the divide and linked these two specialisms